


That Park... in the Rain

by AlexisTitania



Category: Oniisama E
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, I'm not sure if I can call this a hurt/comfort fic, Missing Scene, and the concept fits the overall context of the characters' relationship at this point in the story, but it has elements of hurt/comfort, heavily inspired by some manga scenes but written to fit the anime continuity, tagging is hard but I tried, takes place during the one-week timeskip at the end of episode 26
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25863250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexisTitania/pseuds/AlexisTitania
Summary: 'Could you die?' Rei had asked.Nanako is distraught about Rei's ever-worsening mental health, and can't bring herself to leave her to deal with her demons alone. So she goes to her, and they share a brief moment of affection in the rain that Nanako will never forget.
Relationships: Asaka Rei/Misonoo Nanako
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	That Park... in the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like something like this was much needed in the story to make Rei's confession of love in episode 33 feel more properly earned, hence the missing scene tag. 
> 
> As for where this fits in canon: there was a one-week timeskip at the end of episode 26, between Rei and Fukiko's almost suicide attempt and Mariko's family drama. I took full advantage of the short timeskip for my gay agenda, so this fic takes place during the first day of that blank week.  
> This fic is actually heavily inspired by the Oniisama E manga, because I'm not forgiving the anime for not including some great scenes between Nanako and Rei.  
> So what I did is, I made a modified and heavily (and I mean HEAVILY) expanded version of those manga scenes to make them fit the anime canon. So you don't need to know anything about the manga to understand this really. But if you've read the manga, you'll know the scenes I'm referencing.
> 
> OK here goes!

_Dear Brother,  
Something must have shattered inside of her that night. Something precious. Some kind of treasure she'd been keeping locked inside. For better or worse, it shattered. That's what it looked like to me. Though she didn't spare me a single glance as I turned to leave, I saw something new in her eyes. Something, perhaps, even more frightening than everything I'd seen before. _

_I left Saint-Juste-sama's apartment in tears. I wasn't strong enough to look back at her forlorn expression. 'Could you die?' she had asked. Those terrible words echoed in my mind, and I couldn't sleep at all._

_The next day felt like it was passing me by. Saint-Juste-sama didn't come to school. I went about my tasks as usual, but my head was elsewhere. Being sleep-deprived as I was, I couldn't even find in myself the energy for schoolwork._

_Oh, Brother... Saint-Juste-sama's face kept appearing before my eyes the whole day. I thought to myself, how could a single person carry such a heavy burden on their back? Such terrifying pain? I couldn't understand it. Kaoru-no-Kimi once told me that no person could truly understand another, but someone who cared could try to. If that is so, my Brother, if 'caring' means trying your hardest to understand your loved one, despite knowing it's impossible, I think that's what I wanted to do for Saint-Juste-sama. I think... she was probably trying to do the same for Miya-sama._

_Miya-sama... The one in Saint-Juste-sama's heart. The only one in her heart. I knew I could never replace Miya-sama in Saint-Juste-sama's heart, but even so... even so I... I wanted to become someone Saint-Juste-sama could depend on. She always kept to herself, never bothering anyone, drowning her sorrow in drugs, hiding from the world... I'd never met someone so devoted and dedicated to their pain, to nurturing it, to letting it grow like a shadow, almost... almost like a vision of Death._

_All these dark thoughts made me restless throughout the day, so I made up my mind to visit Saint-Juste-sama after school. When classes finally ended, I left the campus unceremoniously, all alone, forgetting to say even one word of goodbye to Tomoko or Mariko-san. Thinking back on this day now, I vaguely recall the mesmerizing sunset that was laid out before me as I dragged my feet absentmindedly. If only I'd had enough presence of mind to appreciate the scenery... I wish I remembered it more vividly. Instead, I could only let my legs instinctively lead me in the direction of Saint-Juste-sama's apartment. But the apartment wasn't where I found her._

_On my way there, I felt my legs gradually start to weigh me down, holding me back. Reluctantly, I stopped in my tracks, and came to the mind-numbing realization that I was scared. Scared out of my skin. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't bring myself to keep walking forward. But I desperately wanted, needed to see her! Eventually, I decided to go catch my breath and clear my head somewhere, before making my way to Saint-Juste-sama's place again. I promised myself to keep trying until I got there._

_So I made a short side trip to the park where Tomoko and I used to come to let off some steam. Maybe it was the fond memories of playing on the swings, the seesaw, or the sand playground... Whatever the reason, that place gave me a kind of peace of mind. However, when I look at the whole situation now, I think it must have been destiny itself that led me to the park that evening. Because that's where I found her._

_It was getting dark, and I was just about to pass through the park in a hurry, when my eyes landed on a slender figure dressed in black sitting on one of the swings. My heart skipped a beat. It was_ my _swing._

"Saint-Juste-sama..." Nanako breathed feebly, barely over a whisper. But the sound didn't go unnoticed by Rei; in the calm of the dying day, she recognized the voice that always seemed to caress her moniker so tenderly. That small voice full of emotion could only belong to her Cherie La Poupée. For some reason, the girl's name escaped her. Though she was certain she knew it, she couldn't quite bring it to the front of her mind at the moment.

Lifting her head slowly, she was surprised to find the girl standing rather far away, across the sand playground, just outside the park. Her voice had sounded so close, as if speaking directly into her ear. Rei took in her pink flare dress that emerged strikingly from the dull palette of the street in the rapidly waning daylight. And in her hand, a neat, black leather bag. She was all elegance and grace... just like a doll.

Their eyes met wordlessly, and the quiet carried on for a few beats as the world around them stilled. Finally, Nanako willed her feet to move. The closer she got to Rei, the clearer she could see the dark circles under her eyes, the slump of her shoulders, her slightly parted lips and disheveled hair. Her slim fingers that so vigorously traversed the piano keys were now languidly holding on to the swing chains. The swing was much too small and hung too low for her, keeping her willowy body close to the ground. It was unusual, looking at her from above.

Going around the sand playground that separated her from Rei, after a few more shaky steps, Nanako stood before her. By now, her heart was pounding loudly in her ears. Somehow, she forced her dry throat to let her voice through.

"Saint-Juste-sama..."

"Hello," Rei managed a genuine smile.

"What are you doing here?" Just as she asked the question, Nanako reprimanded herself, realizing Rei probably couldn't answer it. Maybe she wouldn't have answered no matter what Nanako had said. Still, their eyes never broke apart. They stayed in silence long enough for Nanako to trace the shifting shades on Rei's face as the moon overtook the sun and the street lights illuminated them both. The light from a lamppost some distance behind Nanako cast her own shadow over Rei, making it hard to pick out her face, only her irises shining in the dark. But Nanako didn't dare move.

The eerie moment was broken by the rustling sound of the evening breeze. 

"The wind is so calm and lovely now," Rei tilted her head to look at the sky, waiting for it to fill with stars. "Summer is truly here."

As if to challenge Rei, a single raindrop fell on her face, and then another one, and yet another. Soon, a pleasant, mild summer rain descended upon them. Distantly, Nanako heard a voice in the back of her head reminding her that she hadn't brought an umbrella that morning, but she paid it no mind, concentrating only on the woman in front of her. Her moonlight hair that was now getting wet, shrinking and sticking to her face... All of it did nothing to diminish her beauty, Nanako noted. In fact, the dripping of raindrops over her skin made it glisten with a sort of angelic warmth.

Rei returned her eyes to Nanako then, watching her more intently this time. Nanako felt spellbound, brimming with anticipation.

"You... love me?"

The words were hushed, but to Nanako, they sounded like a thunderous roar. The drumming of the rain over the concrete became louder in her earholes, and she squeezed the handle of her bag tightly for comfort. She wanted to look away, but her body wouldn't obey her.

Rei waited patiently for a long while, immovably holding Nanako's gaze. When Nanako remained speechless, she pressed on. "You said... you loved me... that time..."

Nanako felt a surge of something akin to excitement at the thought of Rei remembering that day. That day that was so precious in her memory, it meant something to Rei as well. The subtle change in her bearing gave it away.

 _Vulnerable_ , Nanako thought. _She looks vulnerable like this. Saint-Juste-sama... I've seen her broken down time and time again, but this is different... Somehow it's different... My Brother, the distant and closed-off Saint-Juste-sama is exposing another part of herself to me. To me! Brother, how can I deny her? I can't._

Nanako was facing down, covered in shadows, but Rei could clearly see a single tear shimmering in the corner of her eye. After a moment's hesitation, never-ending tears started streaming down her cheeks, mingling with the trails of raindrops. Rei softened at the sight, looking for an answer in Nanako's eyes, both craving and fearing it.

Then, Nanako's face lit up, revealing a melancholy smile. Rei was stunned; that smile raised her up, she realized, not for the first time. In that moment, she found herself so profoundly affected by all the tenderness and beauty of this girl who always worried about her, always looked after her from afar. Her whole body trembled, a twinge of something painful yet strangely welcome settling inside her chest. She didn't understand herself, but she found she longed to hear the girl's next words.

"If I didn't... I wouldn't be suffering nearly as much as I am," Nanako's voice was mellow and even as she smiled with newfound relief. Her words were honest, and she was at peace with letting them out.

"Suffering?" Rei's eyes narrowed in befuddlement.

"Yes... Suffering," the upward curve of Nanako's lips never wavered.

At that, Rei couldn't help giving a smile of her own. What she was smiling about, she couldn't quite discern. All she knew was that she felt such deep appreciation for this girl. Appreciation and - dare she say it - a kind of affection.

And then, the strangest thing happened; Rei couldn't control it. As if it had a will of its own, her hand reached out to touch Nanako's hair.

 _Nanako_ , Rei repeated it in her mind. _Yes, that was her name. Nanako... What a gentle sound... Nanako... Ma Cherie... Nanako..._

The unprompted intimacy made Nanako's head spin. She barely registered dropping her bag, her mind locked on the warmth Rei's hand emanated as it played with wet the strands of hair around her neck. Occasionally, the tips of her fingers would graze the skin there, sending the sweetest of sensations through Nanako's body.

Without her noticing, Rei had pulled her ever so slightly closer, her palm now fully gripping the back of her neck. She couldn't tell if the rain was getting thick or her vision blurry, or maybe it was the sudden proximity of Rei's face that made it look so hazy.

As she pulled Nanako down, Rei hovered over the swing seat just enough to meet her halfway. She saw Nanako flutter her eyes closed, and slowly followed suit. Nanako's hair surrounded her face completely, and she didn't feel the rain beating down on her anymore. She inhaled deeply, letting Nanako's scent wash over her.

Abandoning all of her defenses, she gave Nanako's cheek a soft peck. Brief as it was, it made Nanako shudder hotly; a feeling that had been entirely alien to her until then. From the point where Rei's lips met her skin, goosebumps spread all over her body. She felt lightweight. And then, all too soon, she sank, fearing this was all just a fleeting dream.

She readied herself for Rei to pull away and regret everything, to curl in on herself again. Still, the moment didn't end. Rei never moved, only kept threading her long, deft fingers through her silky locks. She rose to stand, always holding Nanako close. Her arms wrapped around her petite form, and Nanako clutched her chest in return.

Like this, cheek to cheek, frozen in the balmy night, guarding each other from the rain, the two felt at ease.

_Brother,  
I don't remember very well what happened after that. I was in a state of pure bliss, so much that I couldn't think properly. But now I think... I think this might have been the first moment I shared with Saint-Juste-sama without the shadow of Miya-sama looming over her. I think... this was truly the first time Saint-Juste-sama chose to be with me... for _me _. I don't mean to brag, but I don't think just anyone would've sufficed._

 _That time I confessed my love for her, the time I missed my stop and she made me skip my morning classes to go out with her... I'm still not sure if that was just a whim of hers. I never mustered up the courage to ask if she'd actually wanted to spend the day with me that time. But this time... This time, my Brother, I'm positive. This time, Saint-Juste-sama didn't push me away - she sought me out._ Me _. Just me._

_And so, with these exhilarating thoughts in my mind, I ended up just going with the flow that night. By the time I came down from my high, I was in Saint-Juste-sama's apartment. She let me use her bath and gave me a change of clothes while I waited for mine to dry. To tell you the truth, my Brother, I couldn't help but relish the way her clothes were a few sizes too big for me. They smelled like her, they made me feel completely enveloped by the ethereal being that Saint-Juste-sama was in my heart._

Nanako stood in front of one of the larger mirrors in Rei's room as she dried her hair. At first, she'd had a hard time deciding on the mirror to use; there were a dozen just in the bedroom. Eventually, she chose the one across from the bed, as it was at just the right height.

Since Rei was currently taking a bath, Nanako allowed herself a minute to wonder about the mirrors. She'd never asked Rei why she needed so many of them, and she didn't think she ever could. It was one of those subjects she had to tiptoe around so as to not scare Rei and make her shut herself away again. She still bitterly remembered how she'd reacted to her trying to throw her pills in the trash. But, Rei had come a long way since then. And Nanako hoped she would one day trust her enough to confide in her, even if some tiny, wretched part of her feared it was a hope in vain.

Just as she finished drying her hair, Rei walked out of the bathroom, wearing her white nightgown.

"That fashion actually looks good on you," she failed to conceal her amusement after seeing Nanako in her clothes. It was a fairly casual look, but still more formal than anything Nanako'd ever worn - black dress pants and a white shirt with frills along the low collar and the edges of the long puffed sleeves.

"Your bourgeois fashion, as Kaoru-no-Kimi would say," Nanako laughed teasingly.

Suddenly in the mood for good-natured banter, Rei retorted, "I would prefer it if you would call it 'classy,' thank you very much."

"How about 'fancy' for a change?"

"I don't like the sound of that. Makes me seem snobby." Rei sprawled out on her bed, practically already snoozing from exhaustion. Nanako spotted a lone chair in the corner of the room and dragged it over to the bed, content to just sit there next to the reposing Rei. In the dim light of the room, with only the faint flickering of the bedside lamp, Rei's face looked uncharacteristically peaceful to Nanako.

Heaving an audible sign, Rei started in a low murmur, "It was a beautiful twilight today."

She paused then, sluggishly opening her eyes to gaze up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Nanako held her breath the entire time.

"On days like this, I often remember my late Mother," Rei finally continued, with a distant, nostalgic look in her eyes. "I used to take long strolls in the dusk. It soothed me. I would close my eyes, and when I opened them, it felt like she was there."

With a stifled chuckle, she looked over at Nanako, at her chocolate hair still tousled from the hair dryer, her round blue eyes that reflected the lamplight, her small posture that seemed even more delicate in oversized clothes. Rei thought she looked precious in that moment.

"And when I opened my eyes today," she sat up in a reclining position, giving Nanako a meaningful look, "There was you."

Nanako felt a light thrill overcome her at the face Rei was making. She couldn't quite describe it, or even fully comprehend it, but she was sure she saw a kind of fondness in Rei's eyes.

"For some reason, you made me remember..." Rei trailed off for a minute, before refocusing on Nanako, "That precious phrase that was buried in the depths of my heart for the longest time. The phrase my Mother and I used to say to each other every night."

She stretched out her hand to stroke Nanako's hair once again. She was surprised to find she liked doing that. Even more delightfully, Nanako leaned into her touch, closing her eyes and letting a bright smile adorn her pretty face.

Rei leaned in and kissed Nanako's cheek, the same one as earlier in the rain. It almost felt like she was claiming it, though she convinced herself that was a silly thought.

"Goodnight," she whispered in Nanako's ear.

 _Thank you_ , Rei kept this phrase to herself as she leaned back on the bed, pulling Nanako down with her. Nanako all too willingly complied, sinking into Rei's chest and letting her fondle her hair softly and comfortingly, for what felt like hours.

_My Dear Brother,  
I waited for Saint-Juste-sama to fall asleep, and then I left. The rain had long stopped. I don't know what time it was, but I remember mom was very worried when I arrived home. But Brother, that hardly mattered. Nothing could quell the pure joy I felt that night. I had the sweetest of dreams. For that brief moment in time, I felt like I could weather anything. _

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually the very first fic I've ever posted lol. Does it show? It's not the first one I've written, not by a long shot, but I'm entirely new to this publishing-my-own-writing thing. So any feedback would be much appreciated, as I'm looking to improve. Even though I do my best to make it appear otherwise, English is not my first language, so if you think it's needed, feel free to offer (nice) criticism regarding the grammar and other language stuff as well. 
> 
> So yeah, let me know what you thought! Or if you can't or don't want to, that's fine too! Thank you for stopping by anyway! ^^


End file.
